It's a Crazy Mystery Coraline
by TheGeekgirl
Summary: When girls start disappearing from Coraline's school mysteriously, she decides to find out what happened to them with the help of Cat and her part time friend Wybie. But if the Beldam is still safely locked away, who or what has been kidnapping the girls.
1. In Which There are Odd Goings On

_Hello . Here is my very first story, which I hope you like. This all takes place after the first book, which I've sort of merged with the movie with Coraline meeting Wybie in the beginning but her adventure in the other world is just how it was in the book. Anyway enough of my rambling. Constructive criticism is very welcome. Enjoy._

Disclaimer: I don't own Coraline or any of the characters from the movie or book. 'nuf said.

**_It's a Crazy Mystery Coraline_**

_By: littleBLACKduck_

**_Chapter One: In Which there are Odd Goings On  
_**

**_A_**s soon as Coraline Jones arrived at school she knew something bad had happened.

All the girls and boys were huddled together, whispering nervously and casting troubled glances around the room.

At first Coraline thought someone had played a prank on the teachers that had gone wrong.

But she soon learned that this was not the case.

She was taking her books out of her locker when suddenly a familiar voice from behind her rudely broke through the silence making her whirl around in fright. But it instantly turned into annoyance.

"Hey Caroline!" Wybie Lovat, Coraline's pesky neighbor was behind her and grinning madly. He held a little camcorder in his right hand, and held it up asking "So how's your first day back to school after winter vacation?"

"How many times do I have to tell you Wybourne, its Coraline, not Caroline!" She snapped irritably, punching him on the arm.

"Ow! Well I can see you're in your ever cheerful mood today?" He said sarcastically.

"Sorry," She replied with a half smile. "But do you know how annoying it is for people to always get you name wrong."

"Uhm…no not really." He continued, carelessly with a shrug. "Luckily, that was just a rehearsal. Now I'm actually recording. Say Hi Jonesy."

"Hi Jonesy," she repeated in a bored tone, rolling her eyes. "What's with the camera anyway? You're bringing your stalking tendencies to a whole new level."

"Don't be ridiculous, this is for the school, to see the kid's eye view. I signed up to interview everyone, I thought it would be fun but I did it mostly because it gave me an excuse to use this camcorder. So since I found you, I'll start with you. What are you're thoughts about the school so far."

Coraline looked around as another traveling pack shuffled through. "Well, their very close knit here. Everyone looks like their joint at the hip."

Wybie stopped the camera again and put it away in his backpack with a frown. "I can tell you why that is. Remember that girl Brittany Gerald?"

Coraline nodded.

"Well, a day ago after school she headed for home the same as usual, but a couple of her friends saw her walking with two people up to the deserted orphanage. Then her parents called her teachers saying she never made it home that night. The police searched all over the orphanage but they never found her, or the people she went there with. Isn't that scary!" he added ominously. He emphasized his words by leaning towards her, his eye wide.

"Not as scary as you invading my space bubble." She pushed him away with a get out of my face look. "So she was kidnapped."

"Either that or spirited away." He continued on darkly. "At least that's what all the other kids think, even though that's just overactive imaginations at work..." Coraline thought about this for a minute. A year ago she would have been inclined to agree with him. But her recent adventure against the witch Beldam left her believing anything was possible.

"And she's not the first one either." Wybie continued to gab away, even though Coraline was only half listening now.

"A week ago, it was Amber Jacobs, and then Sarah Colbert."

"Wait a minute," Coraline interrupted. "Have any boys disappeared?"

Wybie put on a look of deep thought, and then said, "No, it's only been girls so far."

"Wybourne, you've peeked my interest." Coraline said emphatically. "I'm going to go explore that orphanage today after school."

"Great I'll come with you." He rocked eagerly back and forth on his feet.

"No that's okay…" She didn't really want him tagging along but he began insisting.

"That orphanage is really old and condemned what if you fell through one of the floors; you'd have no one to get help from." He pointed out.

"Okay, I guess your right." She decided, "Then I'll meet you outside my house at 5:00. Got that."

"Uh-huh," Wybie nodded setting his digital wristwatch.

Just then the bell rang for the next class.

"Oh my god, we've got to get to class." Coraline exclaimed as she looked up and found the hallway empty. As they ran off to class, Coraline thought about the missing girls. It all seemed horribly familiar. But she had locked the Beldam's door and her hand was buried deep in the old well.

Coraline felt a shiver rush through her. She had a couple of things to check when she got home.

*************************

Coraline looked at the boards covering the old well. They looked safe and securely on.

The black cat, who was Coraline's friend rubbed up against her leg and meowed.

"What do you think Cat. Is it safe?" She asked him tapping lightly on the wood. He looked up at her with deep green eyes and nodded.

"That's what I thought." She picked him up and began walking back home.

"Then whoever took those children must be real. Maybe I could find some clues at the old orphanage. I bet those poor girls are really scared and want to get back to their families. I know I would."

She set Cat down on the porch steps when she got back home.

"Will you help me out?" asked Coraline sitting down beside him. Cat gave a loud meow as if to say, "Of course."

"I knew you would, I can always count on you."

Coraline smiled and scratched him behind the ears.

***************************

_Author's quick note: I'm sorry if this chapter was a little short, but hopefully the next one will be longer, and I'll definitely pick up the pace, because I thought this one was a little slow._

_littleBLACKduck_


	2. In Which Something is Found in a House t

_My thanks to all the people who reviewed my story, put it on their favorites etc. I hope you like this next chapter. Constructive criticism is very welcome._

_littleBLACKduck_

**_Chapter Two: In which Something is Found in a house that Shouldn't be there  
_**

**_C_**oraline looked over all the different items spread out on her bed. She had made a list of things she need on this new exploring trip. Rope, flashlight, a magnifying glass, which was classic, but she wasn't exactly sure how to use it in this particular situation.

She went over to her closet and pulled out a large brown backpack and began to stuff all of her equipment into it.

Just as she finished she heard the loud sound of a foghorn coming from outside. She quickly zipped up her pack and ran downstairs. Her mother and father were inside the kitchen enjoying a cup of tea as she zoomed past. She had almost made it to the door when she heard her mother's voice call her back.

"Hold it just a second young lady and come back here."

Coraline stopped and slowly backed up to the kitchen.

"Yes mom?" she asked innocently.

"Did I just hear a foghorn outside?" Her mother raised her eyebrows curiously. Coraline nodded.

"That's just Wybie, you remember our next door neighbor. We're gonna go…" She tried to think of the right words, "hang out for a bit in town…" She wanted to sound as believable as possible. But her mother didn't look like she was buying it.

"I thought you didn't like him."

"I'm putting him on trial right now." Coraline explained. She began to fidget uncomfortably, as her impatience to go outside increased.

"Hmmm," Mrs. Jones looked at her intently her lips pursed. "Well, I can see you want to leave. Be careful, and come back before 7." Her mother said with a half smile.

"Thanks," Coraline hugged her mother and then her father. "Bye," She quickly skipped out of the kitchen.

"Coraline, tell that boy that next time he comes he should wait at the door, why when I was…" Coraline never heard the rest of Mr. Jones speech as she closed the door behind her.

"Wake up Cat, we're leaving." Coraline patted the snoozing feline awake as she walked down the steps. Cat jumped up and landed neatly beside her.

She saw Wybie standing at the end of the driveway to the pink palace with his motorized bicycle.

She looked over at her own old bicycle that was propped up against the porch. It was from her 9th birthday. She had begged her parents for her own bicycle and when she finally got it she had thought it looked very spiffy, but now it was dusty and the paint was chipping. She had only just pulled it out of the shed that morning. She wiped off the handlebars and sighed. 'It's better than nothing." She tried to convince herself.

"That's your bike?" Wybie said incredulously as she reached him, trailing it beside her.

"Yeah why," She asked defensively. It was one thing for her not to like her bike but quite another for Wybie to criticize it.

"It's pretty old." He was staring at her bicycle with his head cocked to one side. She could almost hear him thinking over the 100 different ways he could fix it up.

"Thank you captain obvious I already know that. Now can we get going, I think it's going to rain." She cast a wearing glance up at the sky where dark clouds were gathering.

"That'll just add atmosphere Miss Explorer." He mounted his bike then continued, "I'll go slowly so you can keep up." Cat jumped onto Coraline's lap and situated himself inside her jacket.

As they rushed down the hill on their bikes, Coraline felt an adrenaline rush course through her body as wind whipped against her face. It filled her with so much renewed energy that Wybie didn't have to slow down as much as he thought.

After what felt like only a couple minutes but was really a good half hour of a glorious ride, they made it to the old orphanage.

When they stopped in front of the rickety rotting fence that surrounded the building, Coraline could see why all the kids thought it was haunted.

It leaned heavily to the left side, and all of it's windows we're boarded up. It was colored a sooty black a though it had been through a fire. The roof was heavily sunken in and Coraline thought that one good blow could bring the whole structure crashing down any second.

"Isn't it creeping looking?" Wybie shuddered as they propped their bikes up against the fence.

"Yup, exactly the sort of place people shouldn't go into in movies." Coraline replied.

"So you're doing it why..?"

"Because I made myself a promise to help find those girls, I can't really explain why. I just have to."

Cat leapt out of her coat and onto the ground. She pushed the rickety gate open and they all made their way up the muddy pathway leading to the front porch.

There they stopped and just stared.

"Well," Wybie began.

"Well what?" Coraline retorted nervously.

"Don't you want to go inside?" he asked.

"Why don't you go first." She pushed him gently forward. He stumbled up a couple steps then looked back at her. "You aren't scared are you?"

"No, of course not. Are you?"

Wybie shook his head. "No,"

"Then move it Wybourne and make sure the porch is safe to walk on." She said giving him a daring look.

"So it's okay for me to fall through the floor then."

"What kind of gentleman are you! You would rather I fall through?"

"Okay, okay, don't get all crazy. I'll go first."

"And if you fall, I'll visit you at the hospital." Coraline joked with a smile.

"You're too kind." He took the next two steps in a short jump and Coraline quickly joined him. She unconsciously grabbed onto his arm as they made their way cautiously across the porch. But the floor didn't give way and they both felt slightly more confident as they pulled the rusty door open.

Inside the house was almost pitch black. Coraline and Wybie flicked on their flashlight and let the beams travel along the hallway. There was a long line of doors stretching down the hall on either side. Dust swirled wildly around and as they stepped inside some of it escaped up Coraline's nose and she succumbed to a sneezing fit.

"Ah the sweet smell of a rundown building. Anyway what exactly are we looking for?" Wybie asked as they made their way into the first room. It was round and had peeling yellow paint on the wall. There was a door leading to a walk in closet, and another which was a second entryway to the next room.

"Oh the usual," Coraline answered as she opened the closet door. "Clue's to see if anyone's been here, what happened to the missing girls, and possibly, if we're lucky something that'll help us figure out where they are, who did it and why."

But as they explored every nook and cranny of the first floor, they found nothing that would be of any help to them, just cobwebs, spiders and a cooing group of birds. They also ran into several rats which aroused the Cat's hunting spirit and he took after them like a speeding bullet, yowling.

As they walked up the stairs she began to feel a little disheartened. 'How can I help those girls if there's nothing here that'll help me?' she thought wearily.

The upstairs was almost as disappointing as the first floor, except that they couldn't go through all of it for there was a gaping hole blocking there pathway.

Coraline shone her flashlights beam down the hole. It landed a far way down into a room below.

"Wow, that's a long way to fall." Said Wybie softly. Coraline's stomach clenched tightly and she nodded slowly in agreement.

"I don't want to think about it."

She turned on her heels and stalked off trying to put as much distant between her and the hole.

She looked up at the ceiling and noticed an outline of a small door with a string dangling down from it. 'It must be a passage way to the attic,' she thought excitedly.

"Hey Wybie. Come over here." She called out. When he reached her she pointed up at the door.

"I think that leads to the attic."

"So," he replied with a shrug.

"So I can't reach it, I'll need to climb on your shoulders." She explained definitely.

"Do I look like a tree to you!?" Wybie began to protest indignantly, but Coraline brushed off his concern.

"Don't be such a baby Wybourne, It'll be easy. Now stay steady." She commanded. Even though he continued to complain about it, Coraline climbed onto his shoulders and reached up trying to catch the string dangling down from the door. As soon as she had a firm hold on the string she gently pulled it, so as to nudge the door slowly open. With a creak it gave way and Coraline found a ladder folded up on the inside.

"Wybie back up slowly. I'm gonna pull the ladder out." Coraline instructed him. Still muttering against it he did what's she asked and she gingerly let the ladder slid down to the floor.

"Satisfied Nancy Drew." He said edgily.

"Yes," Coraline hopped down with a grin and swiftly made her way up the ladder one hand pulling her up the other holding the flashlight securely. The attic was musty, small and terribly hot, and turned out to be filled with boxes covered in dust. Coraline's heart leapt excitedly in her chest.

"Look out all this stuff Wybie. It must be left over stuff from when the orphanage was still in business." She said happily. It didn't seem like it would be relevant to her current case, but Coraline's fingers itched to open the boxes and discover what secrets were held inside. She finally gave in and the first box she could reach. A dust cloud billowed up around her from the disturbance making her cough. She rapidly waved it away, and found the box was full of ugly faded blue checkered uniforms.

"Ew," she held a particularly dingy dress up into the light. "Their uniforms were worse then ours." Wybie laughed at this and began to help her look through the boxes.

"Hey look what I found." He said holding up a brown book held together by string. Inside we're pictures that Coraline knew where off the orphanage and the orphans who once lived there. There was one of smiling children playing in the yard full of grass. There was another of two old jolly ladies posing in front of the orphanage which was sturdy and bright looking. But the one that was Coraline's favorite was one showing a grinning little boy sitting with an equally happy girl with dark curly hair. They both radiated with such joy that it seemed to leap out of the picture and fill Coraline.

But it instantly faded away as Wybie slammed the album shut and looked behind him.

"I hear someone coming." He whispered anxiously. As they stood still, Coraline began to hear the tap of shoes coming down the hallway below. They quietly made there way to the attic entrance and looked down.

A girl about the age of 16-17 came into view and she looked curiously at the ladder. She had bleached blonde hair and dark eyes. Coraline didn't feel that she would be much of a threat against her and Wybie and so decided to have the advantage of being the first person to speak.

"What are you doing here?" She called down. The girl let out a high pitched scream and turned around in all directions trying to find the voice that had spoke to her.

"A-are you a g-ghost?" she stuttered out, shaking with fear.

"No silly, we're up here."

The girl looked up and closed her eye breathing deeply in relief as she saw Coraline and Wybie.

"I-I thought you we're a ghost." She explained to them as they climbed down.

"Why would you think that?" Coraline asked her. The girl looked down at her feet embarrassed. "I…I don't like to say." She simpered.

"Oh go on tell us." Coraline coaxed her.

"All right. I'm Psychic." The girl blurted out. There was a moment of silence, and Wybie shot Coraline a skeptical glance.

"You don't believe me do you," The girl's voice reached a high pitch, and she had a look on her face of being deeply offended. "Why else would I come here? I sensed a distressed spirit that needed my help."

"Oh really," Coraline said sardonically. "Where exactly was this "sense" coming from?"

The girl shrugged uncertainly, "I'm not sure, somewhere inside here. I thought I'd just wander around till I found it. What are you two doing here?"

"We're looking for clues to help us find those two missing girls," Wybie announced proudly.

"I'm Coraline Jones and this unfortunate looking boy is my neighbor Wybourne Lovat." Coraline said offering the girl her hand. Wybie scowled at Coraline.

"You can call me Wybie." He also offered his hand to the girl and she shook it reluctantly.

"You both have really interesting names. Mines just Leslie, plain old boring Leslie Doyle." She introduced herself. "It's not very psychic sounding is it?" She sighed heavily.

"I like it." Coraline told her. "But it seems silly to talk around up here. Why don't we go outside?" She suggested.

"Sure," the girl answered cheerfully.

All three children found their way downstairs, when Coraline heard a soft meow. She looked behind her but cat wasn't there. She looked in front but it was just the same.

"Cat?" She called out. She received an answering meow but she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Wybie, I hear cat but I can't find him. It sounds like he's close, Listen."

They all fell silent and Wybie cocked his head sideways to listen.

"It' sounds like it's coming from the wall." He told her in a confused voice.

"Cat?" Coraline leaned her ear against the wall. Wybie had been right. He did sound like he was coming from the wall. It also sounded like he was moving away from her.

"Wait Cat!" Coraline yelled chasing his cry down the hallway.

"What is it now Jonesy?" Wybie exclaimed in annoyance. He really wanted to leave this house. It seemed to be getting darker. Which meant it was closing in on twilight outside.

Coraline followed Cat, of at least cat's meows into a little room. She looked around it with her flashlight but still didn't see him. Dim light came in through the window which seemed to be one of the few that weren't boarded up. Coraline saw a heavy drizzle falling outside. As she cast a glance up at the top of the room she found that this was the one right below the large hole on the second floor.

"Cat?" She called out one final time. She followed his howl to the left side of the wall. She tapped on the wood. Then she noticed some cracks in the wall, as though their was a way to open it, like a secret panel. She began to laugh.

"You must have found your way into the wall while chasing the mice. Don't worry I'll get you out."

She kicked the wall as hard as she could near the cracks and to no surprise it didn't take her long to break it open. But to her utter horror, cat wasn't the only thing that fell out of the wall. Coraline gave a shriek and jumped back, for there lying at her feet, vacant eyes staring up at her was the dead body of a girl.

"Oh my god." She breathed out her heart beating painfully against her chest. Her mind whirled in utter revulsion and panic.

"What's wrong Coraline?" Wybie and Leslie stopped dead in their tracks as they too noticed the body.

"We've gotta get outta here, we've got to call the police, we've…" Coraline didn't finish as she ran out of the room followed closely by her two companions and cat. But just as she stormed out the door two strong arms reached out and grabbed her. She let out another loud scream.

"What do you kids think you're doing here!?" Yelled her captor in a gruff voice, He held her in one arm and grabbed Wybie and Leslie with the other. Coraline wiggled loose and looked up at him. It was a police officer.

"Don't you guys know this place is off limits, you could have hurt yourselves." He reprimanded them sternly.

"Forget about us!" Coraline gasped out. "There's a dead Body in there!"


	3. In Which Coraline Dreams

**_Thanks once again to my reviewers etc. I hope you enjoy the next chapter._**

_**Chapter Three: In Which Coraline Dreams**_

**_T_**he police man's hold on Leslie and Wybie went slack after Coraline's outburst. Leslie; who had been struggling against him like an angry wolverine, sprung loose like a jack-in-the box and tumbled down the porch stairs.

She let out a loud wail, and the dead body was temporarily forgotten by the police man as he rushed to her side.

"Are you hurt?" he looked at her worry etched all over his face. She glared up at him.

"No! I'm screaming for the heck of it." She looked down at her leg. "I think I twisted it, or sprained it. Or even broken it." She wailed passionately.

Coraline thought Leslie was being an awful baby. Her ankle didn't look twisted in any way. 'And what about the body?' she thought desperately.

"Maybe I should help you to the car?" The officer was saying but Coraline protested.

"Let Wybie help her, you have to call the police so they can help you." She insisted beckoning for him to go inside. He looked a little torn between the choices. Leslie began to cry with fresh vigor complaining that her ankle was most definitely broken.

"That bodies dead, it's not going anywhere. I need to go to the hospital!"

The officer finally ended up calling in backup on his walky talky, and Wybie was giving the odious task of being Leslie's support system all the way to the police car parked in front of the fence.

"Follow me," Coraline pulled the officer into the house and led him to the room where she had found the body.

"She's in there." Coraline stood a little way from the door; she didn't want to see the dead girl again. "I don't know who she is."

The police man screwed up his face in preparation and went into the room. Coraline thought he must be an amateur police man to be nervous about seeing a dead body. But she couldn't blame him. She didn't want to ever see anything so horrifying again.

But in less than a minute the officer came out of the room and bared down on Coraline with a stern look on hi face.

"Are you playin' some practically joke on me little girl?" he asked gruffly. Coraline's mouth dropped open in surprise and her eyes widened; for one insane moment she thought he was accusing her of killing the girl.

"W-what do you mean?" she stuttered, her panic coming back to her with the force of a hundred pound weight.

"There's no dead body in there, just a kicked in wall."

Coraline couldn't believe her ears, she peeked around the door, but sure enough, the room was empty except from wood debris.

"This is crazy, I saw her there as plain as day, she fell out, she couldn't just walk away she was dead!" Coraline's voice reached the high pitch of a scream.

"Now little lady the charades up. There is no body, so I conclude there never was one, and you and you're friend are getting your thrill out of leadin' me on. But there's a consequence for false alarms sweetheart. You and your buddies are coming down with me to headquarters, and I'm calling your parents."

Coraline cast one defeated and confused glance back at the room. She knew what she had seen. But then what had happened to the girl?

She followed the police man out to the car in a dream like state. It was all too bizarre to wrap her mind around at the moment. Why did these things always happen to her?

When she got to the car Leslie and Wybie began to bombard her with questions. But she silenced them instantly by saying, "She was gone!"

"What!?"

"Yup, gone, all that was left was the broken down door. I don't know what to make of it. He," and she jerked her head in the officers direction, "doesn't believe there was a body, so now he's taking us to the station and calling our parents."

Wybie looked as though Coraline announced that he was about to be fed alive to lions.

"My grandmothers gonna kill me." He muttered despondently, staring into space.

Coraline felt that the same sort of fate would face her when her parents found out. She just wished she could explain it had all been in pursuit of justice for a dead girl. She felt that would have been explanation enough for being out past 7. But now, except for Wybie and Leslie, she was the only one who new there was one less person in Ashland, Oregon.

******************

The next hour and a half that past was pure agony for poor Coraline. Whenever someone asked why there were three kids sitting at the police station, the officer that had found them (who's name they learned was Harold) enjoyed announcing loudly that they were punk kids, with overactive imaginations that he had caught sneaking around in the old Ashland orphanage.

Coraline deeply resented this and sat in complete tempestuous silence boring holes into the wood floor.

Wybie wanted to say something to make her feel better, but he couldn't think of a single thing in this situation. Even Leslie was stewing away, but vocally.

"When is my brother coming!? Did you call him!? I need immediate medical care!"

The police nurse had checked her foot, and had said it was a minor sprain.

"Hardly worth fussing over." The lady had explained to Leslie, but the injured girl wasn't going to have any of that.

There was a loud bang as the stations door was slammed open by a young man 18 years of age. A gust of wind entered with him swirling through the room, making papers take to the air, like overlarge snowflakes. The boy had dark hair that was wet from the rain and hung down over his eyes. He was looking desperately around until he finally noticed Leslie and rushed to her side.

"What happened Lez?" he asked grabbing her gently by the shoulders.

"Nothing, I just nearly broke my ankle."

"How?" he was looking into her eyes as though they would tell him everything.

"They were snooping around the old Ashland orphanage claiming to see dead bodies."

All three children glared at Harold who was watching over them like a hawk. The boy gave Leslie a disapproving look.

"Please tell me you weren't. I told you it's dangerous."

"But I felt a spirit there Jerry." Leslie protested, as though it was a perfectly legitimate reason.

"Leslie don't make a scene. I'm sorry about this officer. She hasn't been feeling well lately. She was supposed to stay home today…" He gave Leslie dark eyes as he said this. She just turned her head away from him and stuck her nose in the air.

"I'm her brother Jerry Doyle. My dad told me to come and get her. Boy you're gonna be in trouble when he finds out." Despite Leslie's surliness, she leaned on Jerry for support to stand up. Then she turned to Coraline and said, "If you need my help call Me." and handed her a little slip of paper.

"Thanks," Coraline muttered at her. But she felt a fake psychic was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Soon after, Mr. and Mrs. Jones came and picked up Coraline and Wybie. The trip home was full of a lecture on how disappointed they were with both of them, and what on earth were they even thinking, making up such cock-eyed stories, and that Coraline was grounded. Wybie was silently hitting his forehead with his hand, and Coraline stared out the window not even protesting against her punishment.

Mr. Jones walked with Coraline up to the pink palace as Mrs. Jones took Wybie home.

"Do you want something to eat Coraline? I made pizza." Mr. Jones said as soon as they made it inside. Coraline shook her head, because she really wasn't hungry, and also because she didn't have the stamina to choke down any of her fathers crazy recipes.

As she flopped down onto the couch in the living room, all the hard pains of exhaustion from the day's excursion engulfed her body. Her tired eyes closed and she drifted off into the darkness of an uneasy sleep.

"Seeing things isn't the same as observing them." A voice said in her mind. "If you look harder, I'm sure you'll find what was always there to begin with."

In her dream Coraline was back at the orphanage, back in the room with the secret panel. It looked exactly the way it had been that evening. She was floating over it, and Cat was on the ground looking up at her. She alighted next to him.

"What is it?" She pleaded. "I know something's wrong, but I can't put my finger on it."

She let out a heavy sigh and looked at the floor. It was dusty, and wood was scattered all over it. But suddenly she noticed how some of the wood that had scattered looked like it had been accidentally dragged back to the opening of the secret room and there were dried up tracks of mud as well. Faint, but still there.

She went up to the gap in the wall and saw that something had snagged on to the splintered wood. It was a dark piece of cloth, but she wasn't sure if it was from the dead girl or someone else.

"The body was moved. Fast, because we weren't outside for long. Someone must have been in the house watching us."

Coraline felt a strong sick revulsion in her stomach. "Someone wanted to hide that fact she was dead. Her murderer?"

She needed to get back to that orphanage, and fast. But she was grounded and she knew there was no way to convince her parents to waiver their decision.

"Cat, what am I going to do? I finally get something, and now I can't do anything about it?"

"Is there really nothing you can do Coraline?" The cat asked her intently, with a twinkle in his eyes. It was a rhetorical question she knew, and suddenly like a light bulb a solution clicked on in her head.

"No, there is something."

With a violent jolt Coraline woke up. She had somehow made it into her room. He father had probably carried her to bed during her deep sleep.

But she wasn't tired any more. She was full of excited anticipation. She looked over at her bedside clock. It was 5:30 in the morning.

She couldn't wait until daybreak. She had a very important favor to ask of Wybie.


End file.
